The Music in Pride and Prejudice

It is a truth not always realized that the soundtrack "makes" a lot of the movie. The soundtrack for P&P95 is unique in that it actually sounds authentic to the period, unlike many period drama soundtracks (cough cough Bleak House cough cough).

Here's a collection of information about the soundtrack and other music used in the movie, along with links to the soundtrack, songs used, sheet music, etc.

Soundtrack
Written by Carl Davis. You can buy the official soundtrack here on Amazon.

You can also listen to it on YouTube if you're cheap like we are. Here's a list of the songs on the soundtrack, along with links to the songs on YouTube.

1. Opening Title Music
2. Dance Montage
3. Elizabeth Observed
4. Piano Summary (Episode 1)
5. Canon Collins
6. Piano Summary (Episode 2)
7. The Gardiners
8. Winter Into Spring
9. Parting
10. Rosings
11. Piano Summary (Episode 3)
12. Telling the Truth
14. Pemberley
13. Farewell to the Regiment
15. Darcy Returns
16. Piano Summary (Episode 4)
17. Thinking About Lizzy
18. Lydia's Elopement
19. Piano Summary (Episode 5)
20. Lydia's Wedding
21. Return of Bingley
22. Darcy's Second Proposal
23. Double Wedding
24. Finale

Now, unfortunately the soundtrack doesn't actually have all the pieces heard in the movie. I've just noticed this while watching it. It's just variations that are missing, but the variations can sound quite different and I wish they'd been included.

Also, the Piano Summaries aren't really the soundtrack as in something that was played in the movie. It's just a... well, a piano summary. A piano arrangement for the music from that particular episode; for instance, Piano Summary (Episode Two) has a bit of 'Mr Beveridge's Maggot' (that's the Darcy-and-Elizabeth dance), and Piano Summary (Episode Five) begins with part of Andante Favori by Beethoven (this is what Georgiana plays on the piano in the scene at Pemberley that has The Look).


Sheet music:
Jane Austen: The Music has a large selection of soundtrack pieces, as well as from Sense and Sensibility (1995). Jane Austen's World includes four songs from P&P95 as well as some from S&S95, Persuasion (1995) and Emma (1996, Miramax).


Other Music


Piano Pieces
Here is an unfortunately non-complete list of piano pieces used in this movie. If you know of any others, please, please leave a comment!

Georgiana's pieces:
Andante Favori by Beethoven (Played when Elizabeth was turning her pages the evening everyone is at Pemberley. "Pray, Miss Eliza, are the militia still quartered in Meryton?")
Sonatina No. 4 by Clementi (The end of the song played during the "What?!" scene at Pemberley.)

Louisa Hurst's piece:
Rondo Alla Turca by Mozart (During the embarrassing scene at the Netherfield ball.)

Mary Bennet's pieces:
Suite No. 5 in E Major HWV 430 "The Harmonious Blacksmith" by Handel (Played at Lucas Lodge right before the "I have been meditating on the very great delight which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow" scene.)
"Slumber, Dear Maid", "Ombra Mai Fu", or "Largo" from the opera Xerxes by Handel (This is the one Mary sings. Oh, joy. Very fun to mimic, though--you ought to try it sometime.)
"God Rest Ye, Merry Gentleman" - traditional English carol.  (Played at Mrs. Phillips' Christmastime card party, sung by Maria Lucas, while Mrs. Bennet is loudly lamenting Jane's loss of Mr. Bingley.)

Elizabeth Bennet's pieces:
"Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major" by Mozart (Played at Rosings. "Do you mean to frighten me, Mr. Darcy...)
"Voi Che Sapete" from The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart (Sung at Pemberley.) {lyrics here}

Caroline Bingley
"Rondo all' Ongarese" by Haydn ("Let's have a little music, shall we?")

Dance Music
You will find that on the Dances page, and you can get the sheet music for all the dances here at The Republic of Pemberley.

31 comments:

Joan said...

Did you know that the Lady Catherine theme was stolen from Schubert's Fantasie in F Minor for Piano Four Hands?
Joan

Unknown said...

I cannot find what is the name of the music which orchestra plays when Jane, Mister Bingly and Elizabeth come in into the Netherfield ball room and it ends when Elizabeth introduce Mister Collins to Charlotte.

njdonofrio said...

The piece of music that was playing as the Bennets arrive at Netherfield (from the carriage till they greet the Bingley Sisters) is the Wedding March from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, but I've also been trying to find the song playing when Bingley walks Jane and Lizzie through the ball up until she introduces Mr. Collins to Charlotte. I was wondering if anyone knows that piece of music.

Unknown said...

I search the music that Mary plays in the episode 6 at the minute 15:52. The period when Jane and Bingley already engaged.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to help fill in some gaps in the piano music section. Caroline Bingley interrupts the awkward scene between Darcy and Lizzy at Netherfield by playing Haydn's Rondo all'ongarese in G. Also, while Lizzy is entertaining at Rosings, she plays Mozart's Piano Sonata in A.

Miss Marianne said...

Anonymous,
Thanks very much! I've added those. :)

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure where it plays.... but I am pretty sure Mozart's Symphony #40 in G Minor k, 550 is in there somewhere :)
Was listening to it today and recognised it as being in Pride and Prejudice :)

aebutler said...

I am so happy I found this website! I've been looking for the P&P music and cannot find it anywhere. When I click on the dance music, though, I just get a page saying "server not found." Can anyone help me? Thanks!

Miss Marianne said...

aebutler,
The MP3 files must have been taken down from that website. I'm sorry! I would try Googling the song names (if it says "tune", that is the name of the song, and if it doesn't have one, then the name of the song and the name of the dance are the same).

Shanpie said...

Anyone know what pice Mary plays in episode two at the gathering at Aunt Phillips? It's the one she plays as Wickham talks to Lizzy.

Hannah S said...

I know both Beethoven's Variations on "Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento" and his Andante in F Major both appear in there somewhere, I think played by Mary in the background at two different points.

Anna said...

Beethoven's Six Variations on a duet by Paisello are played by Mary multiple times. I know for certain that Variation II is played after Lydia and Wickham go to the North Country in Ep. 6, but I think it's played in the background elsewhere too.

Anonymous said...

Shanpie and everybody else, I' pretty sure that one is Mozart's "Minuet No. 1."

Anonymous said...

Minuet No. 1 by Mozart

Rosalie said...

I thought Lady Catherine's theme sounded very much like the Overture to Handal's Messiah... Does anyone else recognize that?

Δ.Μ said...

Thank you so much!I have been looking for the Andante favori for a long time.

Δ.Μ said...

Thank you so much ! I have been looking the Andante favori for a long time.

Anonymous said...

Listening at work at the circulation desk, as it should be in a library...

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this! I have been going nuts looking for the title of the piece Mrs. Hurst played, and you gave it to me (needed it for a story, and my appreciation of classical music often doesn't translate to remembering the name of a piece...) I am in total agreement that this is the definitive version of P&P. My best felicitations to my fellow fans, and to the Misses Dashwood in particular!

Jim G said...

There's also a very distinct resemblance to another theme used in P&P95 to Schubert's work - the theme used, eg when Darcy is finally proposing to Elizabeth, right at the end of the series, is very similar to the first theme in the second movement (Adagio) of Schubert's String Quintet.

Anonymous said...

The Pemberley theme seems inspired by second movement of Schubert's very last piece, the magnificent String Quintet, opus 163 (NOT the Trout). See minute 14:20 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3tmFhrOgNk.

Rosings sounds like Handel, but I cannot place it.

Anonymous said...

see also http://janneirvine.com/pride-and-prejudice-1995-enjoying-the-music/

Anonymous said...

Has anyone found the piece of music played during the scene when Mr. Bingley walks Jane and Lizzie into the ballroom? I've searched all the Internet, but with no succes...

Anonymous said...

Listen to the P & P music on Spotify - there are several playlists...

Anonymous said...

This is a great piece of work but rather than reinventing the wheel does anyone have a definitive list in chronological order yet. I f not I will have to trawl through all the helpful comments and have a go myself.

Unknown said...

Does anyone know the music that plays when Darcy dances with Lizzy for the first time?

jrpardinas said...

I'm missing just one piece from this definitive production of Pride and Prejudice...

Does anyone know the name of the piece playing as Bingley escorts Elizabeth and Jane into the ballroom at Netherfield?

Anonymous said...

Unless what I saw is another scen, Caroline Bingley is not playing Rondo all'Ongarese of Haydn but Rondo alla Turca of Mozart

Anonymous said...

Well, I just left a comment saying what Caroline Bingley played at the piano even if I had the doubt that was her sister Louisa. And in fact it is correctly written in the blog, I just didn't know her married name was Hurst and I didn't noticed it. Sorry

Nature Girl said...

I too have looked everywhere for the music playing as Bingley escorts Lizzy and Jane into the Netherfield Ballroom.

Does no one have any ideas?

Nature Girl said...

Has anyone identified the music playing while Bingley escorts Jane and Lizzy into the Netherfield ballroom? It's been driving me crazy, as I think I know it but cannot place it.